Anthony Westbury: The mission continues for Missionary Flights International in Haiti

Members of Fast Israeli Rescue and Search Team transport food, medical supplies and toiletries donated from Treasure Coast residents, after unloading the goods from Missionary Flight International's DC-3 in 2010, at the Port-au-Prince International Airport

Treasure Coast Newspapers

Missionary Flights International is accepting donations for their ongoing relief efforts to Haiti. Contributions may be mailed to Missionary Flights International, 3170 Airman's Drive, Fort Pierce, FL 34946, or go to mfi@missionaryflights.org to send online donations.

Call MFI at 772-462-2395.

It's hard to believe, but Saturday marks the third anniversary of the earthquake that struck Haiti on Jan. 12, 2010.

To mark the occasion and continue the stream of humanitarian aid that has poured from our area ever since, Missionary Flights International will host a food packing event Saturday at its St. Lucie County International Airport headquarters in Fort Pierce.

The 7.0-magnitude temblor caused horrendous damage, both human and material.

An estimated 316,000 people died in the quake, more than 300,000 were badly injured and 1 million were made homeless. A quarter-million homes and 30,000 commercial structures were either severely damaged or destroyed. It was the second-deadliest quake in history.

All that would have been bad enough if this had occurred in a wealthy, developed country. Yet Haiti has long been the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere. And after the quake, despite a tsunami of aid from every corner of the world, rescue and rebuilding efforts were frequently stymied by chronic holdups in aid distribution, and corruption and theft in the wake of a collapsed government and law enforcement system.

Yet there is hopeful news coming out of Haiti these days, according to the founder of Missionary Flights International, Dick Snook.

MFI was one of the first aid groups to get supplies to Haiti in the days immediately following the quake, and they haven't stopped yet. MFI's small fleet of vintage DC-3 aircraft still regularly flies four trips a week to the island. In the three years since the quake, Snook estimated they've flown at least 620 times or 120,000 miles a year — all funded by donations.

This Saturday, MFI will host 500 volunteers from Feed My Starving Children, a nonprofit that's organizing similar events in other cities, to pack 100,000 meals for ongoing relief efforts.

The military ration-type meals are intended to help feed Haitians during the winter months, and typically include rice, beans and green vegetables, Snook said.

Snook said they already have plenty of volunteers for Saturday and that 80 percent of the food is paid for, but they will be accepting donations to cover the rest of the costs.

The problems aid agencies have encountered in Haiti have been well-reported. However, Snook, who still flies frequently to the island said he's seen steady improvements in the quality of life for citizens there.

"A major change for us was the complete redevelopment of the airport at Cap Haitien," Snook said. "They redesigned all the runways, added a new ramp and fuel truck, with money from the European Union.

"It seems the new President is getting things done. His next goal is to get 1 million children back in school. There's still a lot of work to be done, but they're getting better organized," he said.

Snook said he's noticed many new homes being built in the area between Cap Haitien and Port-au-Prince. While many are still not permanent, at least the new homes now have wooden frameworks and good tarpaulins.

From the air, Snook's also seen new highways constructed to reach previously inaccessible areas, and he's also noticed new power lines in the mountains that are supplying electricity to remote villages.

Snook said the six weeks before Christmas were extra busy for MFI. In addition to regular food and supply runs, they assembled 11,000 Christmas bags for Haiti's kids. Each bag included personal hygiene items, school and other supplies, one toy and hard candy.

Even after all the TV anchors and their crews have gone home and international attention has moved elsewhere, MFI continues its work in Haiti largely unheralded. They deserve our grateful thanks, our donations, and praise for a job well done.

Anthony Westbury is a columnist for Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers. This column reflects his opinion. Contact him 772-409-1320 or anthony.westbury@scripps.com.